More hours on the phone, in the car

LOWELL -- As UMass Lowell continues to prepare for its seismic athletic shift to the Division I America East Conference beginning next academic year, it's safe to say the recruiting trail has widened and intensified for UML men's basketball coach Greg Herenda and women's hoop coach Sarah Behn

The tip of UML's inaugural America East basketball season looms just a little over seven months from now. The clock is ticking, and the old methods of recruiting at the Division II level just won't cut it anymore. This a whole new ballgame with cutthroat competitiveness on a national level.

The work done in the coming months by Herenda and Behn will prove paramount to the first-year transition. Herenda spoke to that point last week while relying on his car GPS to navigate through unfamiliar parts of Connecticut so that he could attend a private workout at a prep school.

"I'll be racking up a lot of miles," said Herenda. "I'll be recruiting hard right up until I go to a coaching convention in Atlanta during the Final Four. It's on a daily basis, and sometimes it's a matter of a ton of phone calls. There is a food chain and we're not too high on it. We really have to go out and work to find kids.

"Our target market has widened drastically. With the Division I prestige, the allure of the America East, and our university, kids are interested in our program."

Herenda and his staff are actively recruiting as far south as Washington, D.

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C., and as far north as Canada, while talking over the phone with players across the country. He is also strongly maintaining his courtship of Massachusetts' best players, having already signed senior 6-foot-6 Rockland High standout Tyler Gibson, the 2012-13 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

Herenda also has a commitment for this fall from 5-foot-11 point guard Jack Sullivan out of New Jersey.

Behn, meanwhile, is making it a priority to attract top-notch junior college transfers. She is also looking to form a presence among foreign D1 prospects, all while trying her best to secure some of the top talent within a five-hour radius of Lowell.

"Division I has opened some doors for us that previously weren't open," said Behn. "Kids who weren't taking our calls, are now. Junior college transfers are very attractive to our program because they could help ease the transition."

Herenda and Behn have to sell their programs to recruits with a giant caveat: the school won't be eligible for postseason play for the next four years while it completes the four-year NCAA reclassification from Division II to Division I. They also need to find players prepared to play for a program that will undoubtedly take some lumps in the form of hugely lop-sided losses.

Herenda will be aided by the fact that he has extensive Division I coaching experience as an assistant coach at East Carolina University (2000-05), Yale (1997-99), Seton Hall (1994-97) and Holy Cross (1989-94).

"I've been coaching for 30 years. My network is vast and it ranges from New England, New York and New Jersey to the West Coast," Herenda said. "I'm excited. I always put pressure on myself. I want to play against the best, recruit against the best, and coach against the best.

"I sell the program based on the facts that we have a great university academically that is close to Boston, we'll be playing a high-quality schedule, and we play in a great league. There are a lot of great players that want to play Division I, and when they visit the campus and see our facilities, they will want to be a part of it."

Behn can simply mention her spectacular career at Boston College (1989-93) to recruits to gain their attention. She was a two-time Kodak All-American, scored 2,523 career points and was inducted into the BC Hall of Fame in 1998.

"I do talk about my philosophies as a player and a coach," said Behn. "We run a fast-paced offense, we like to get a shot within 12 seconds. We were one of the highest scoring teams in the nation last season. Players will want to play in that system. This is a beautiful academic university with great facilities.

"With this elevation there are expectations. But I'm happy that we have this opportunity."

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